FAIRMONT, W.Va., Aug. 16,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE)
subsidiary Mon Power is using a helicopter equipped with an aerial
saw to trim trees and ensure proper clearance around nearly 600
miles of high-voltage transmission lines in its West Virginia service area. The work is
expected to conclude this fall.
The transmission corridors are located in Braxton, Brooke, Gilmer, Hancock, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Monongalia, Nicholas, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Roane, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Webster, Wirt
and Wood counties.
Maintaining proper clearances around transmission lines and
electrical equipment can help prevent or minimize the impact of
tree-related power outages, especially those associated with severe
weather during the summer and winter storm seasons. Clearing
incompatible vegetation under power lines also gives company
personnel easier access to inspect and maintain lines and make
repairs quicker if an outage occurs.
"Taking this proactive step to protect our high-voltage lines is
an important part of our vegetation management program and an
effective way to reduce or minimize service interruptions for our
customers," said Jim Myers,
president of FirstEnergy's West
Virginia operations. "This work complements the various
investments we make to preserve and enhance our electric grid each
year."
Suspended on a boom beneath the helicopter and equipped with
multiple 24-inch rotary blades, the aerial saw is typically
deployed along transmission lines in areas that are environmentally
sensitive or inaccessible to bucket trucks and other vehicles. This
fast, safe and efficient method of trimming typically covers more
area in a day than a ground crew might complete in a week. The saw
also eliminates the risk of injury to workers using bucket trucks
or climbing trees to cut limbs near high-voltage equipment.
The saw cleanly cuts tree limbs 8 to 10 inches in diameter,
which fall straight to the ground propelled by air blasts from the
helicopter rotors. Ground crews move limbs that have fallen onto
roads, yards, agricultural fields or in streams. The ground crew
will also flag and stop motorists along roads if the aerial saw is
working nearby.
The helicopter flies above and alongside transmission lines and
may circle around to perform additional trimming. The pilot
communicates with local airport personnel whenever the helicopter
is operating within their air space. The helicopter and saw are
owned and operated by Aerial Solutions and will work only as
weather conditions permit.
In addition to trimming trees, helicopter crews have inspected
more than 2,000 miles of transmission lines located in Mon Power's
service territory. The inspections are designed to look for damaged
wire, broken crossarms, insulator issues and other hardware
problems not visible from the ground. Potential reliability issues
identified during the inspection will be prioritized and addressed
as quickly as possible. Vegetation management aerial patrols are
also in progress to inspect vegetation on the transmission
corridor.
Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Follow Mon Power at
www.mon-power.com, on Twitter @MonPowerWV and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/MonPowerWV.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online
at www.firstenergycorp.com and on
Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Action photos of the aerial saw are
available for download on Flickr. A video explaining
FirstEnergy's vegetation management techniques can also be found
on YouTube.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.